"Thirty years of exceptional care!"

A few days ago I contacted the surgery because I became worried about my persistent flu-like symptoms.

The telephone was answered quickly, and after answering a few pertinent questions, I received an appointment on the same morning.

The friendly doctor welcomed me about five minutes after the set time, and he examined me carefully.

He then decided that I did not require any antibiotics or other special medicine.

Very usefully, he explained under what circumstances antibiotics would be needed, and that I would need about two weeks to recover fully.

I left the surgery happy in the knowledge that there was nothing seriously wrong with me, and that I did not have to take medicine that could have unpleasant side effects.

My family and I have been with this surgery for more than thirty years and, for all five of us, every contact has been excellent like the example above.

During the last ten years I sometimes accompanied my elderly parents in Switzerland to consultations with different general practitioners and specialist doctors.

Appointments have to be booked weeks in advance even if the patient is in pain, and my parents were always kept waiting for more than two hours after the appointed time.

Even though my parents have very expensive private health insurance, they must pay a percentage of the costs of the consultation, the prescriptions, and the medicines. All these factors make them reluctant to seek medical help, and I think that their health and quality of life are negatively affected by this.

I believe that during the past thirty years my family has enjoyed the best possible medical care from the Bowthorpe Medical Practice.

I also believe that the NHS is far better than any private health care I know about.

Many thanks to all involved!